x\OTES. 169 



50 Water-Rails, 16 Common and Jack Snipe, 5 Fieldfares, 

 2 Woodcocks, a Lapwing and a Ringed Plover, were killed " 

 by striking the lantern. This certainly seems to indicate 

 that the Water-Rail migrates southwards in considerable 

 numbers on the approach of winter, so that the apparent 

 increase in numbers observed in England at that season may 

 be real, and be due to immigration from further north. 



H. E. Forrest. 

 [It is quite evident from the records in the different volumes 

 of the Migration Reports that the Water-Rail, occasionally 

 at any rate, performs its migratory movements in flocks of 

 what must be considered for the species as considerable 

 numbers, and sometimes, as in the instance referred to by 

 Mr. Forrest, in really very large numbers. Without drawing 

 any conclusions as to the movements themselves, the material 

 at ])resent hardly being sufficient to warrant it, it is neverthe- 

 less obvious that they are in autumn of considerable magnitude, 

 and cover a lengthy period of time, so that it would possibly 

 be nearer the truth to say that it is during this period, say 

 from mid-September to early December, that the numbers in 

 this country are at their maximum. It is unfortunate that 

 with such a skulking species as the Water-Rail, practically 

 the only evidence of its migratory movements is obtainable 

 from the Lights, and consequently positive ones only are of 

 any value, and these must be collected over a considerable 

 number of years before anything conclusive can be deduced 

 from them.— N.F.T.] 



GREY PHALAROPE IN SHROPSHIRE. 



An adult male of the Grey Phalarope {Phalaropus Julicarius) 

 was obtained about five miles north of Shrewsbury on October 

 3rd, 1911. It was in full winter plumage. H. E. Forrest. 



BLUE EGGS OF COMMON TERN. 

 The Common Terns {Sterna fluviatilis) that breed in some 

 numbers at a particular spot in north Norfolk, have shown 

 a remarkable tendenc}^ to lay pale blue, unspotted eggs this 

 year, and it would be of interest to know if the same has 

 been noticed at other resorts. I have seen four sets of three 

 eggs each, whilst a far larger number containing a single egg 

 of this rather unusual type, were noticed by the local men 

 in this one colony. The Rev. F. C. R. Jourdain, to whom 

 I wrote, suggested that continued plundering of the nests 

 would account in some degree for the paucity of coloration ; 

 but in this case another explanation must be sought, as the 

 Terns are carefully protected. 



